By Paul Sloth
Journal Times | Posted: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 12:00 am
BURLINGTON - Officials on the west end of the county don't like the idea of a Regional Transit Authority, even if their communities aren't included in the plan being floated as part of Gov. Jim Doyle's budget proposal.
On Tuesday, the Burlington City Council unanimously approved a resolution opposing the creation of an RTA and the power it would have to tax communities for transit projects. Town of Burlington officials passed a similar resolution earlier this month.
Officials in Burlington don't think western Racine County residents will benefit from the improvements to regional transit, including the proposed construction of a Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail project.
Not even a presentation Tuesday night on regional transportation by Kenneth Yunker, a representative from the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, could persuade the council.
"It's really just a cautionary thing to say, 'Hey, we know this thing is going forward. We're not a part of it and we don't want to be a part of it,'" said Burlington City Administrator Kevin Lahner. "We are concerned that somewhere the proposal would be made to include all of Racine County."
Doyle suggests creating a transit authority that includes all of Kenosha and Milwaukee counties and the communities east of Interstate 94 in Racine County. The RTA would have an appointed board comprised of members from participating communities. The board would have the power to impose a 0.5 percent sales tax to finance mass transit projects, including the commuter rail extension through Racine County.
Burlington's decision comes on the heels of discussions by other communities and local legislators about the creation of the Regional Transit Authority. The Village of Sturtevant last month approved a similar resolution opposing an RTA. The City of Racine earlier this month approved a resolution supporting the RTA and KRM.